Login and Registration Issues

» Why can’t I login?

There are several reasons why this could occur. First, Has your account been activated? (All accounts are approved by T.A.S.S™) have you recieved emails to confirm? Did you fail to post on the forum within the specified time emailed to you by T.A.S.S™? ensure your username and password are correct.

If you do not check the Log me in automatically box when you login, the forum will only keep you logged in for a preset time. This prevents misuse of your account by anyone else. To stay logged in, check the box during login. This is not recommended if you access from a shared computer, e.g. library, internet cafe, university computer lab, etc.

Within your User Control Panel, under “Board preferences”, you will find the option Hide your online status. Enable this option with Yes and you will only appear to the administrators, moderators and yourself. You will be counted as a hidden user.

Don’t panic! While your password cannot be retrieved, it can easily be reset. Visit the login page and click I’ve forgotten my password. Follow the instructions and you should be able to log in again shortly.

First, check your username and password. If they are correct, then read Why can’t I login above. APF™ requires new registrations to be checked & activated by T.A.S.S™, before you can logon; this information was present during registration. If you were sent an e-mail, follow the instructions. If you did not receive an e-mail, you may have provided an incorrect e-mail address or the e-mail may have been picked up by a spam filer. If you are sure the e-mail address you provided is correct, then contact us.

Attempt to locate the e-mail sent to you when you first registered, check your username and password and try again. It is possible as per our T&C your account has deactivated or deleted due to inactivity. If this has happened, try registering again and being more involved in discussions.

COPPA, or the Child Online Privacy and Protection Act of 1998, is a law in the United States requiring websites which can potentially collect information from minors under the age of 13 to have written parental consent or some other method of legal guardian acknowledgment, allowing the collection of personally identifiable information from a minor under the age of 13. If you are unsure if this applies to you as someone trying to register or to the website you are trying to register on, contact legal counsel for assistance.

User Preferences and settings

» How do I change my settings?

If you are a registered member, all your settings are stored in the forums database. To alter them, visit your User Control Panel; a link can be found at the top of forum index page. This system will allow you to change all your settings and preferences allowed in your group.

It is possible the time displayed is from a timezone different from the one you are in. If this is the case, visit your User Control Panel and change your timezone to match your particular area, e.g. Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, USA, UK, etc. Please note that changing the timezone, like most settings, can only be done by registered members. If you are not registered, this is a good time to do so.

If your current group level allows, you can edit a post by clicking the edit button for the relevant post, If someone has already replied to the post, you will find a small piece of text output below the post when you return to the topic which lists the number of times you edited it along with the date and time. This will only appear if someone has made a reply. Please note that normal members cannot delete a post once someone has replied.

When posting a new topic or editing the first post of a topic, click the “Poll creation” tab below the main posting form; if you cannot see this, you do not have permissions to create polls. Enter a title and at least two options in the appropriate fields, making sure each option is on a separate line in the textarea. You can also set the number of options users may select during voting under “Options per user”, a time limit in days for the poll (0 for infinite duration) and lastly the option to allow users to amend their votes.

As with posts, polls can only be edited by the original poster, a moderator or an administrator. To edit a poll, click to edit the first post in the topic; this always has the poll associated with it. If no one has cast a vote, members can delete the poll or edit any poll option. However, if members have already placed votes, only moderators or administrators can edit or delete it. This prevents the poll’s options from being changed mid-way through a poll.

By clicking the “Bump topic” link when you are viewing it, you can “bump” the topic to the top of the forum on the first page. However, if you do not see this, then the time allowance between bumps has not yet been reached. It is also possible to bump the topic simply by replying to it, however, be sure to follow the board rules when doing so.

Formatting and Topic Types

Smilies, or Emoticons, are small images which can be used to express a feeling using a short code, e.g. :) denotes happy, while :( denotes sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen in the posting form. Try not to overuse smilies or a moderator may edit them out or remove the post altogether.

Yes, images can be shown in your posts but must NOT exceed 600 x 450 Pixels. You can use the attachments settings within the post or link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http://www.example.com/my-picture.gif. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor images stored behind authentication mechanisms, e.g. hotmail or yahoo mailboxes, password protected sites, etc. To display the image use the BBCode [img] tag.

Announcements contain important information for the forum you are currently reading and you should always read them. Announcements appear at the top of every page in the forum to which they are posted. As with global announcements.

User Levels and Groups

Moderators are individuals who look after the forums from day to day. They have the authority to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the forum they moderate. Generally, moderators are present to prevent users from going off-topic or posting abusive or offensive material.

Private Messaging

» I cannot send private messages!

Your current group does not have permission to PM. ALL new members start on restricted access and over time and more so posts will move levels as deemed appropriate by our Automated Security System. As they move levels the privileges such as Private Messaging become available. this will be at the discretion of T.A.S.S™

You can block a member from sending you private messages by using message rules within your User Control Panel. If you are receiving abusive private messages from a particular member, inform admin IMMEDIATELY; we can prevent a member from sending private messages.

» I have received a spamming or abusive e-mail from someone on the forum!

We are sorry to hear that. The e-mail form feature of this forum includes safeguards to try and track members who send such posts, so e-mail admin with a full copy of the e-mail you received. It is very important that this includes the headers that contain the details of the member that sent the e-mail.

Friends and Foes

» What are my Friends and Foes lists?

You can use these lists to organise other members of the board. Members added to your friends list will be listed within your User Control Panel for quick access to see their online status and to send them private messages. Subject to template support, posts from these users may also be highlighted. If you add a member to your foes list, any posts they make will be hidden by default.

You can add members to your list in two ways. Within each members’s profile, there is a link to add them to either your Friend or Foe list. Alternatively, from your User Control Panel, you can directly add members by entering their member name. You may also remove members from your list using the same page.

Searching the Forums

» How can I search a forum or forums?

IF your current group has permmision to search, Enter a search term in the search box located on the index, forum or topic pages. Advanced search can be accessed by clicking the “Advance Search” link which is available on all pages on the forum.

Topic Subscriptions and Bookmarks

» What is the difference between bookmarking and subscribing?

Bookmarking is much like bookmarking in your web browser. You aren’t alerted when there’s an update, but you can come back to the topic later. Subscribing, however, will notify you when there is an update to the topic or forums on the forum via your preferred method or methods.

To subscribe to a specific forum, click the “Subscribe forum” link upon entering the forum. To subscribe to a topic, reply to the topic with the subscribe checkbox checked or click the “Subscribe topic” link within the topic itself.